The emperor's actions shocked the entire capital. Even Meng Yuchuan was forced to surrender his military power, becoming a marquis in name only... Some people watched the fun, while others felt sympathetic, thinking that his majesty was getting rid of him and even spared no effort to save his meritorious officials.
However, at this moment, Meng Yuchuan suddenly transformed himself and became the chief minister of the cabinet!
The cabinet selected a total of six ministers, all of whom were old ministers who usually kept a low profile but whose status in the court could not be ignored. Most of them were over fifty years old, but Meng Yuchuan stood above them all and became the chief minister of the cabinet.
He is not even thirty yet.
For a time, he was the talk of the town.
Xihe received so many invitations that they all wanted to invite her to a banquet.
Xihe refused all of them and ordered the entire mansion to be cautious in words and actions, keep a low profile, and live their lives behind closed doors.
The Prime Minister's Office also maintained a low profile. Although the emperor did not abolish the position of Prime Minister and changed it to assisting the cabinet, the Prime Minister's power was greatly reduced and might even be abolished in the future... Prime Minister Qiang began to assist Meng Yuchuan wholeheartedly, helping him familiarize himself with the affairs of the court.
Prime Minister Qiang has always been aware of the current situation. The prince was deposed, and Your Majesty has carried out reforms. Everything is beyond redemption.
Instead of being stubborn and refusing to admit defeat, it is better to find another way and assist your son-in-law.
However, his fence-sitting behavior caused many quarrels among the ministers in the same court, including the prime minister's wife and eldest daughter, who thought he was cold-blooded and profit-driven.
Prime Minister Qiang: ...So they will only be satisfied if he confronts His Majesty head-on and takes off his official hat?
Prime Minister Qiang felt that the women in his family were being unreasonable. He explained several times that it was for their own good, but no one listened, so he just ignored it and continued with his own cause.
He secretly calculated in his heart that now that his son-in-law had become the Prime Minister, Meng Huaiyu's chances of becoming the next emperor had infinitely increased. As long as he and his son-in-law worked together, it would not be a problem for him to become the new emperor's confidant in the future!
Prime Minister Qiang was full of fighting spirit and began his second life with great confidence.
Prime Minister Qiang: Life goes on, struggle never stops!
Xihe was speechless, and felt that Prime Minister Qiang's behavior was clearly a complete rebellion!
She asked Meng Yuchuan how much he knew about His Majesty's plan.
After all, suddenly appointing him as the Prime Minister is unusual no matter how you look at it.
Meng Yuchuan: "I've always known."
Xihe:!!!
Meng Yuchuan shook the rattle in his hand, and the little baby in pink clothes immediately crawled over: "Daddy, I want it!" and reached out to grab the rattle in his hand.
The little girl is fair and tender, with bright eyes, and is very cute.
Meng Yuchuan wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with a small handkerchief, teasing his daughter, and continued, "Your Majesty has already started the reform plan several years ago. However, this matter is of great importance, and the road to reform in every dynasty has always been fraught with obstacles. To prevent any accidents, it has been carried out in secret."
Xihe: "...So now that the opportunity is ripe, you're going to take action?"
Meng Yuchuan nodded with a smile, not minding telling her more: "When the late emperor was alive, he noticed that there were problems in the court and wanted to reform it. However, the aristocratic families were too powerful at the time, and they opposed the late emperor's reform ideas. The late emperor was old and had no energy, so he had to hand this matter over to Your Majesty before his death."
"Your Majesty has been on the throne for over twenty years, and has spent all that time weakening the power of the aristocratic families. Even today, there are many more children from humble backgrounds in the court, while the number of aristocratic families is decreasing... My father-in-law is also from a humble family."
Xihe was a little surprised: "But isn't my father from the Tianshui family?"
She remembered that she had advised Prime Minister Qiang not to follow the prince several times before, as it was a hell of a place.
Prime Minister Qiang was furious and scolded her directly, saying that such betrayal was a disgrace to the name of their Tianshui family!
Although in the original owner's memory, every New Year, there were indeed a few people who claimed to be from the same family who came to the mansion to beg for money... they were dressed in shabby clothes and behaved in a shabby manner, and they didn't look like they were from a noble family at all.
Meng Yuchuan seemed to smile: "That's because my father-in-law and the Tianshui family are a bit dirty, so..."
He didn't say the rest, but Xihe understood.
She said directly: "Good guy."
In other words, half of the reason why Prime Minister Qiang was the prime minister was because of his status as a Tianshui family. It is even possible that the emperor valued his discord with his family.
She couldn't help but say, "The late emperor... he really had a plan that was perfect."
Prime Minister Qiang was no pushover. He would retaliate fiercely against anyone who bullied him. The late emperor had taken advantage of his vendetta against his own family and handed him a knife, asking him to deal with them.
Aristocratic families have always been closely connected. How could Prime Minister Qiang not have any objections to other aristocratic families targeting the Qiang family? Facing the aristocratic families' crusade, Prime Minister Qiang had to seek allies, and at this time, the children of humble families became the best choice.
Over the past few decades, Prime Minister Qiang has been promoted step by step and has become extremely powerful in the court.
However, he had reduced the number of people from the aristocratic families to very few. Even if they were in the court, most of them were officials of low ranks or were sent to serve in remote areas.
Now, in the entire court, only the prime minister and Meng Yuchuan can hinder the emperor's reforms.
But the emperor showed off another series of cool moves at this time.
He deposed the crown prince, whose honor and disgrace were linked to Prime Minister Qiang, demoted or killed his ministers, leaving Prime Minister Qiang without any troops, and Meng Yuchuan became the emperor's confidant without knowing when... All obstacles were cleared away, and the new policy was implemented!
Xihe: ...What a great father and son from the royal family, so amazing!
The noble families, the Qiang Prime Minister, the poor families, and even his own sons all became pawns on the chessboard.
When it is time to abandon something, do not hesitate to abandon it.
She looked at Meng Yuchuan nervously: "After the reform, will His Majesty deal with you?"
Judging from the thoughts of the late emperor and the current emperor, it is possible that the emperor will start to get rid of the donkey after the reform is completed.
Meng Yuchuan squeezed her hand and shook his head: "Your Majesty won't, at least not before the new emperor ascends the throne." As for the emperor's death and the new emperor ascending the throne, he also has a way to deal with it.
Xihe looked at him steadily and nodded after a while: "I believe you."
She thought to herself, in the previous life, after the male protagonist became the regent, although there was a cabinet in the court, the entire court was still dominated by the male protagonist, and the cabinet had almost no presence. She didn't know if the same mistake would be repeated this time with Meng Yuchuan's participation?
The spring weather was bright and beautiful, and the two stopped talking about court matters and started teasing the little girl. The yard was filled with the children's giggles.
The cabinet was established, and various new policies and decrees were promulgated one after another. The entire court started running at high speed, and local officials were not idle either. Changes were taking place subtly throughout the country.
On this day, the Prime Minister's wife celebrated her 50th birthday, and Xihe went to celebrate with her husband and children.
The ladies of each family had already arrived in advance. As soon as she entered, she was immediately surrounded by a swarm of people. Meng Xi's face flushed with praise: "Your daughter is so beautiful. She has picked out the strengths of you and the Prime Minister."
Xihe smiled and patted her daughter's head: "She can't stand being praised. Once she's praised, she loses her mind."
The ladies immediately found her amiable and lovely, and she spoke eloquently and praised the little girl so much that her eyes narrowed with joy.
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